Amber Facts, Information and Description

The gemstone Amber is one of the birthstones listed for the Sun Sign for Taurus.

Amber deposits have been found that range between 360 and one million years old and belong between the Carboniferous and Pleistocene geological periods.   As sticky resin oozed from ancient pine trees, small insects, plant material, feathers and other small objects in the path of the flow became entrapped.  Over time, the resin was encased in dirt and debris and through a process of heat and pressure it fossilized to become amber.

Amber increases in value with the rarity and perfection of the entrapped object.  Complete insect specimens are rare though and command top price.

Copal, is also a tree resin but it hasn't fully fossilized to amber. It is usually only thousands of years old, instead of millions of years. There is strong debate about some deposits of African amber as to whether it is copal or true amber.

Amber can range in color from dark brown to a light almost clear lemon yellow.  Most amber that has been used in jewelry is from the region of the Baltic Sea or the Dominican Republic.

Amber is very soft, between 2 1/2-3 on the Mohs scale and can be scratched easily.  Bracelets and rings with amber cabochons should be worn with care to prevent marring the stone. Much of the amber used in commercial jewelry is  actually reconstituted which makes it harder and less prone to scratching. Reconstituted and processed amber usually doesn't have natural inclusions.

There are many tests that can be performed to determine if the piece is natural amber or man-made. Of these, only the flotation test is recommended for the novice. Make a saturated solution of regular table salt and water and place the piece of amber in this mixture. If it floats, it is amber. If it sinks it is man-made (some natural copals will also sink and you would need to make more scientific tests to make a determination).

Turquoise Facts, Information and Description

Turquoise is the one of the official birth stones for the month of December as adopted by the American National Association of Jewelers in 1912 and the Planetary stone for Aquarius, Taurus and Sagittarius. See the birthstone tables for additional references to this stone.

The name turquoise is apparently related to the fact that is was brought to Europe from the Eastern Mediterranean by Levantine traders, more commonly known as Turks.  Its been used as a valuable ornament for ages and was used by the Egyptians thousands of years ago. The color is, of course, turquoise, but its range of color varies from green and greenish blue to sky blue shades.

For centuries, the most valuable turquoise came from Iran (Persia) but today some specimens mined in the southwestern United States compete with it.  The name "Persian Turquoise" is now generally used to refer to any turquoise stone that does not have the black or brown veining commonly found in turquoise mined in the United States and used in a style of jewelry created by the American Indians.

The Aztecs mined turquoise in an area now known as New Mexico and a significant amount of turquoise comes from Arizona, California and Nevada in the United States.

Other minerals like chrysocolla have been used to imitate turquoise. Turquoise is often dyed and stabilized with resins to produce a harder stone which retains its color and polish.  Reconstituted turquoise is made from small chips and "chalk" to which dyes and plastic resin is added. Pure turquoise is a relatively soft stone ranging between 5 and 6 on the Mohs scale of hardness.

Amethyst Facts, Information and Description

Amethyst is the official birthstone for February as adopted by the American National Association of Jewelers in 1912. It is also the birth stone for the Zodiac sign of Pisces. See the birthstone table for additional references to this stone on alternative birthstone charts. Amethyst is suggested as a gem to give on the 4th, 6th and 17th wedding anniversaries.

Amethyst is the purple variety of quartz and the most valued member of the quartz family. It must be purple to be amethyst, but it can display a range of shades including deep purple, light lilac, lavender and mauve. Top quality amethyst is a deep medium purple with rose-colored flashes. Its purple color made it a stone of royalty for many thousands of years. See note about incorrectly named "green amethyst".

Amethyst can occur as crystals that are six sided on either end. It also forms as drusy which are crystalline crusts covering the host rock. It is found inside geodes and in alluvial deposits all around the world and occurs in both crystalline or massive forms. When manganese is present in clear quartz amethyst is produced, while the amount of iron contained in the specimen accounts for the depth of purple.

Mohs scale of hardness is 7.

Most amethyst gemstones on the market today are heat-treated to produce a deeper color. Heat treating is permanent and these stones will not fade over time. Unless otherwise stated, assume that any amethyst you purchase today has been heat treated to increase the depth of color. Also, note that most citrine available on the market today is actually heat treated amethyst.